A conventional bed of the type utilized in North America generally includes, at a minimum, a box spring and a mattress. Normally, the box spring rests upon and is supported by a bed frame which includes legs or casters. In lieu of a bed frame, a headboard and a foot board are connected by side rails which are in turn spanned by box spring supporting boards upon which rests the conventional box spring. Such conventional box springs are made by utilizing a pair of rectangular wire frames, and connecting therebetween a multiplicity of metal coils thereby forming a box spring assembly which is totally covered by padding and is appropriately upholstered and at times quilted.
Typically, European or Continental beds do not utilize such conventional box springs and instead a frame is spanned by a series of slats atop which is supported a mattress. Such slats are conventionally attached to the bed frame by clips exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,263,528 and 6,237,170. Such slat beds are relatively inexpensive to manufacture since they are constructed from wood and exclude the expensive materials and production in manufacturing individual steel frames and coils of conventional box springs which preferably are also upholstered in their entirety.
Though the comfort and longevity of slat beds can exceed those of conventional North American/United States beds at far less cost, slat beds have not found acceptance in North America. The habits and attitudes of North American purchasers and users are either resistive to European slat beds or are unaware of the desirable characteristics thereof. Whatever the reason, European/Continental slat beds have not found acceptance on the North American continent.
In keeping with the foregoing, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel slat bed which is in part defined by a novel slat box spring formed as a polygonal frame by opposite side frame members and opposite front and rear frame members which are spanned by a plurality of space substantially parallel concavo-convex slats constructed from wood or other substantially flexible material. The slats have an uppermost convex surface upon which rests a layer of synthetic foam material. Upholstery, in the form of a soft covering, covers the foam material and the frame members and is also preferably quilted to impart a conventional coil spring box spring mattress appearance to what in reality is a slat box spring/bed.
The polygonal frame of the slat box spring/bed is also substantially open at its bottom to facilitate the connection thereto of legs or to provide a lowermost peripheral edge which rests upon a conventional bed frame or box spring support members spanning side rails of a conventional bed frame.
The layer or covering of synthetic latex foam material also preferably includes corrugations or projections projecting into at least some of the spaces between adjacent spaced slats to maintain the latex foam material relative immobilized absent individual connecting means between the latex foam material and the slats.
In further accordance of the invention, a center frame member is disposed substantially midway between the side frame members and parallel thereto, and the slats are located in spanning relationship between the center frame member and the side frame members between the front and rear frame members of the polygonal frame.
With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.